cindyabs

As a former nurse's aide, I had a lot of experience with it.

made of kent

What about TP, I have heard it referred to in ads and in mags, and then the next thing is either murder or how to have an orgasm! why do Americans find it sooo had to say toilet paper? Mad,
my boys 4 have the whole difference between restroom/bathroom sorted, me...where's the loo/toilet I just forget and don't get why you can have sex in the city and prudity???

SagenOnion

26 years ago I started my first day in the US office amongst a bunch of people who really didn't want me there.

Working out my first set of complicated international fares with pencil and paper, I made a mistake...

...my second mistake was calling out if anyone had a rubber.

scrubbedexpat097

Well the next time my bowels want a vacation I hope they don't ask me to pay for it.....this bowel vacation thing could start getting expensive

MrEmjoy

Genius.

I often ask the wife to get me some rubbers and sharpies from her work.

Noorah101

LOL, I'll never be able to use that word again without thinking of this!

notacrime

Just finished my morning coffee, time for a vacation!

notacrime

Bill Bryson's "Made in America" is a great read for anyone interested in the American English vs British English debate. He points out that a lot of what Brits think of as Americanisms actually have their roots in 18th and 19th century Britain. In many cases it's British English that has changed, with the supposed Americanism being more true to the roots of the word or phrase. It's a bit of a geeky book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

He also points out that many words in English have their root in another language. In French the word herb has a silent H. The T in fillet is also silent. American English has retained the French pronunciations whereas British English has altered them. If you are an American having an argument with a Brit about "herb" then ask them how they pronounce the word hour.

I agree with MrEmjoy, (as usual,) that it's only polite to learn the language of your new country, even if it's just a few new words or phrases. We should also enjoy the differences, but it's better to not be judgmental about it or claim any kind of 'original' ground.

My favorite difference is a subtle one, and doesn't necessarily always hold. The adverb "quite". In Britain it's a synonym for "somewhat." In America it's a synonym for "very." This makes for some fantastic misunderstandings, as in "you are quite pretty."

I'm suprised no-one has mentioned fanny yet.

cindyabs

well "we" won't, it's the prude thing dontchaknow?

Madelina

We as Brits should definitely make an effort to adopt the dialect of the locals to fit in.... but then we'd miss out on the shrieks when we use a British-ism "Oh your accent is SO cute say something else say something else!"

celticgrid

I'm from Yorkshire...ask me how I pronounce how?

Coming from somewhere that manages to dispense with letters from the start of words I'm quite comfortable with losing them from middle, especially U. I have less trouble with 'different words' than with different spelling of the same word!

orangemirror

I once was told after walking into a pub in Yorkshire 'Put wood in th'ole love".
"Pardon?" He was telling me to shut the bloody door. i never got used to big, burly blokes calling me love.

another bloody yank

If a big burly guy told me to "put the wood in the hole, love", I'd have turned and walked out, figuring it was that kind of bar.

Floridared

I arrived at a friends house as we were going out to dinner one night. His wife opened the door, and I said "You look very smart tonight". Haha, I had to explain that meant dressed well, and not that she usually looked stupid!!

Floridared